Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the family of Cannabaceae and includes at least three known species: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis. Marijuana and Hemp are forms of Cannabis. Marijuana includes all varieties of the Cannabis genus that contain substantial amounts of THC and is conventionally used for recreational or medicinal purposes. Hemp includes all varieties of the Cannabis genus that contain negligible amounts of THC and generally refers to the industrial, non-drug variant of Cannabis that is cultivated for its flower leaf material, fiber, hurd, and seeds. Hemp flower is used in the production of CBD oils, ointments and extracts used in various dietary supplements as well as the production of Hemp cigarettes that contain CBD compounds. The Hemp seed is mainly used in dietary products and can also be pressed and made into oil that can be used as salad dressing, paint, ink, and as a core ingredient in many body care products. The Hemp stalk and its fiber have more than 25,000 industrial uses, including mainly clothing, construction materials, paper, apparel, bags, rope, netting, canvas, and carpet. Hemp hurds can be used in cement, insulation, paper, animal bedding, biodegradable garden mulch, and plastics.
Through selective breeding or genetic modification, several varieties or strains of Cannabis have been produced, all of which are considered Cannabis. Cannabis is used as a drug or medicine for medicinal and recreation uses. It is consumed through smoking (combustion and inhalation) Cannabis plant material, plant extracts or purified or modified compounds, or through ingestion of the plant material, plant extracts or purified or modified compounds. The most commonly recognized biologically active components of Cannabis include Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). At least 483 known compounds are found in Cannabis including at least 113 other cannabinoids which may have a yet unidentified medicinal benefit.
Cannabis can be used by smoking the dried plant material, by smoking of extracts of the plant material, or by orally consuming with food, or by consuming as an extract. To date, thirty-three States, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico have passed laws allowing Cannabis to be used for a variety of medical conditions. Ten states and the District of Columbia have adopted laws legalizing Cannabis for recreational use. The non-medical use of Cannabis has been decriminalized in thirteen States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, Canada has legalized both medicinal and recreational Cannabis in all provinces as of Oct. 17, 2018, and Canada legalized the growing and use of Hemp for any and all commercial purposes as of May of 1998.
As of Dec. 20, 2018, with the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill, Hemp, which is defined in the Bill as the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a THC concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, has become legal in all fifty states and is no longer considered a controlled substance subject to regulation by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency.
Cannabis has a distinct strong and pungent odor, primarily as a result of several volatile small molecules known as terpenes and collectively described as essential oils. Terpenes are ubiquitous throughout the plant world and are produced by a myriad of plant species. Terpenes are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and other botanicals. They are also common ingredients in the human diet and have generally been recognized as safe to consume by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The general class of molecules that encompass terpenes can be further broken down into monoterpenes, diterpenes and sesquiterpenes, sesterterpenes, triterpenes, sesquarterpenes, tetraterpenes, polyterpenes, and norisoprenoids, contingent on the number of repeating units of a five-carbon molecule referred to as isoprene which is the structural hallmark of all terpenoid compounds. The term terpenoid is used to describe a derivative of a terpene. Terpenes are among the volatile unsaturated hydrocarbons found in the essential oils of many types of plants and flowers. Essential oils are used widely as fragrances in perfumery and in medicine and alternative medicines such as aromatherapy. Synthetic variations and derivatives of natural terpenes (terpenoids) greatly expand the possible numbers of potential terpenoids which could be used to modify the flavor and aroma of Cannabis. 
Although terpenes may possess some medical benefits, the flavor and smell that results from the presence of these terpenes may be found undesirable by many users of Cannabis. Moreover, the strong and pungent odor can linger for hours in the environment, as well as in the clothing of the individuals present during smoking. Because the odor is distinct and easily recognizable as that of Cannabis, it is difficult to smoke Cannabis with discretion, which presents a limitation on their use. Since Cannabis-based products may be used for medicinal purposes, the removal of this strong and pungent odor is especially desirable.
Some processes for the extraction of Cannabis compounds are known. While conventional compound extraction processes are generally known, these processes remain inefficient and cost-ineffective due to the number of variables. None of the conventional processes contemplate selectively extracting a volatile organic compound, such as a terpene (natural or synthetic), from a Cannabis raw plant material to form a purified Cannabis product, where the purified Cannabis product retains the desired naturally occurring Total Potential cannabinoid content (i.e., an amount of naturally occurring cannabinoid plus any decarboxylated cannabinoid acids) in the Cannabis raw material after the extraction.
Additionally, the resulting products tend to exhibit reduced efficacy and/or substandard odor and flavor due to the “wholesale” removal of desired ingredients along with the compound targeted for removal. In this regard, it is not conventionally known to selectively extract terpenes while retaining substantially all of the Total Potential cannabinoid content, or to further modify a previously-modified Cannabis product, where the previously-modified or purified Cannabis product is substantially free of a target compound or compounds that detracts from a desired user experience. Further, current methods to isolate the potential cannabinoids, commonly called “extractions” result in the significant loss of the terpenes and the plant structure.
Accordingly, there is a need for a comprehensive and cohesive approach to process Cannabis to provide a low, or no, odor and/or reduced or modified flavor form of Cannabis, with minimal loss of plant structure. In this regard, if the volatile organic compounds such as essential oils, including terpenes (natural or synthetic) were to be removed without affecting the Total Potential cannabinoid content, the Cannabis could be used without leaving a strong and obvious odor on the user or subjecting the user to what may be deemed to be an unpleasant taste. These and other advantages are exhibited by the following disclosed embodiments.